Thank You For Your Time
by Arpad Hrunta
Summary: Getting Josh to hire her won't be easy for Donna, but she's not giving up yet. Remix of the interview in "The Ticket".


The interview was going terribly.

She had hoped – she had really hoped – it would be just like the last time she came back. That she wouldn't even have to make her pitch, to throw herself on his mercy – that he'd just be so happy to see her in his doorway that he'd have something for her. Maybe not the Deputy Campaign Manager position she'd been hoping for, but something. Something good, something worthy of her, something that reflected what she was cap able of.

The _worst_ case scenario that she'd imagined was that he'd offer her something she considered well beneath her skills, like her old job.

She didn't expect the rejection that seemed to be happening.

He was reading her quotes she'd said on the campaign trail, quotes about Matthew Santos. Quotes she thought we quite witty, and which had got her congratulations from Will and from the Vice President.

Quotes he'd obviously remembered.

He had a _file_ of her quotes.

He was prepared for this. Prepared to reject her.

It was like a stab in the heart.

She wasn't going to give up just yet.

"You called Russell a cowpoke. You said the President avoided him in the halls-you hummed 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' every time the press mentioned his name," she said in her defence.

"Yeah, but I won," he said softly.

And that was the crux of it. He'd won, and she'd lost, and this here, trying to get a job for him, this was not what she had planned. She wanted to work with Josh again, and once she realized how much she missed him, when she watched him through her hotel room door in Iowa, she knew she would want to work with him again, but it was supposed to have been on her terms, on her campaign. It was supposed to have happened when Matt Santos flamed out and Josh joined the winning team, because he'd want to contribute, he'd want to keep the White House in Democratic hands. And they'd be on the same team again, but on an equal footing, and she'd be able to approach him as an equal and they'd repair this mess together as equals, and maybe that dream she'd never truly let go of him, even when she was so _pissed_ at him that she had to quit, maybe that would come true as equals.

She'd never expected to have to come back to him as a supplicant. She certainly never expected he'd reject her.

But that's what he was doing.

"It was my job, Josh," she said, almost pleading. _No_. She wasn't going to beg. "You're not used to me being in a position of authority. I'm sure that's uncomfortable."

Josh looked exasperated. "I got an airplane hangar out there filled with 500 strangers looking to me for direction, I got a candidate who doesn't trust any of them – and frankly, neither do I – " and then his voice softened, and his eyes looked so sad, and he continued. " – and if you think I don't miss you every day – "

"I miss you too!" she exclaimed. "I miss you too, Josh. Every day. So hire me. Bring me back."

"Donna..."

"You don't trust them out there? You can trust me. You _do_ trust me, Josh. You know you do."

He looked at her intently. "You left, Donna. You left. In the middle of a crisis, right when I needed you, you left."

This was what it all got down to. "Yes, I left the White House. But that doesn't mean you can't trust me. We've always trusted one another."

"I trusted you not to leave me."

And that was it. Right there. "I didn't want to leave you, Josh, I didn't but I had to."

"You had to." He stated quietly. "You _had_ to? You had to quit without notice? You had to leave the White House?"

"It's not like you stayed much longer! The day I quit, you were thinking of leaving, Josh."

"Yeah, but I thought we'd leave together."

She could argue back, stating that she tried to talk to him, and he kept blowing her off, but that would get her nowhere. She wanted a job, not an argument. She wanted to talk more about how they missed on another. Realizing this interview had long since gone beyond the professional, she took his hand. "Then hire me back. Let me work with you. Trust me. I can help. I can do this."

"I know you can," he said softly. "But I can't hire you."

Her stomach fell. "You _won't_ hire me," she said, releasing his hand.

"I _can't_. Three days ago you were telling the world on camera how Matt Santos shouldn't be the nominee. I can't hire you."

"It was my job," she repeated.

"I know."

"I know you've hired other Russell staffers."

"Junior staffers, Donna. Not the face of their campaign. Not three days later. The talking heads would be all over this. We'd be derailed from the start."

She had thought he was using this as an excuse, but now she saw that he really believed this.

"You think it would be that important, Josh?"

"People listened to what you said, Donna. As you said, you're good."

She couldn't help but smile. I meant so much to hear him say she was good, and this time she wasn't going to make a joke the last time he said that, in that hotel bar.

"You taught me well, Josh," she said softly. An idea came into her head. "Do you trust me?"

"Donna..."

"Cards on the table, Josh." She took his hand again. "I know I left, and I wish I'd done it differently, but we've always trusted one another. Do you trust me?"

He nodded.

"So I'm good. And you trust me. And it's too soon, right?"

"Yeah..." he said warily.

She smiled widely at him. "So here's what I suggest. I haven't taken any time off work since last summer when..." She trailed off as she saw Josh's face go white, but squeezed his hand gently. "Since last summer. So I'm going to go home to Wisconsin, and see my family, and relax. And I'm going to come back in two weeks, and we're going to sit down and we're going to talk about what job I'm going to do for you to get Matt Santos elected."

"I already have a deputy, Donna."

"Then you'll find something else for me. You need someone you can trust, right?"

"Right," he said, smiling at her for the first time.

"And if you still think the pundits will be a problem, I'll work behind the scenes, in policy or liaising with the regional campaign committees or something like that. But I want us to keep the White House, and I want to help _you_ , Josh. More than anything. Okay?"

"Okay."

"You'll hire me?"

"Yeah. We'll find a good fit for you."

"Good. So you're going to take that folder of quotes of mine, and you're going to shove them..." And here Donna saw Josh wince. She looked at him and squeezed his hand once more in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. "... in a drawer, and tease me mercilessly about then when we're in the White House. Right?"

Josh smiled. "I probably won't even wait that long."

"Of course you won't. And I'm going to call you tonight for a drink, okay? And we're going to talk about how I missed you every day, and you missed me every day."

"M'kay."

She smiled, feeling happier than she had in a long time, and infinitely better than she did mere moments before. Letting go of his hand, she hugged him instead, and whispered in his ear, "Thank you taking me back, Josh."

"Thank _you_ for coming back, Donna. And, you know, not putting up with me trying to not let you."

"I knew you wanted to hire me, Josh. I just needed to make you see that you wanted to."

Just then, the door opened, and Leo entered, looking at some papers. "Hey Josh, we need to..." He looked up, and saw Josh and Donna releasing one another from their embrace. "Hey, kid! How you doing?"

"I'm doing great, Leo," she said, going over to hug him.

"Lotsa hugs today, huh? You joining the team?"

"In two weeks. Going home for a visit, first."

"You deserve it." Leo looked at Josh. "Hey, come see me when you're done here."

Donna smoothed out her skirt. "I'm actually heading out now, Leo. It was great seeing you. You're going to make a great Vee Pee."

"Not with the press I'm getting lately. See you in a few weeks, Donna."

She walked to the doorway, and looked back at Josh. "I'll call you around 9?"

He looked at his calendar. "Better make it 10."

She smiled radiantly at him. "It's a date. Thank you for your time."

She walked toward the elevator, head held high, feeling like she could sing.


End file.
